States of emergency in Canada


A state of emergency occurs when any level of government assumes authority it does not generally possess to respond to a crisis. This is done by invoking said authority under specific legislation, and permits the government to expend funds, mobilize forces, or suspend civil liberties.

Declarations

Federal

The Canadian government has declared a state of emergency four times, three in the 20th century and under the authority of the War Measures Act and one under the Emergencies Act. Under the War Measures, the three declared were:
In 1988, Parliament replaced the War Measures Act with the Emergencies Act, which extended the powers beyond war applications. The sole application has been:

Provincial and territorial

Historically, states of emergency have been declared by provinces for internal issues. Save for the 2004 White Juan Blizzard, until 2020 there had never been a situation where multiple provinces made a province wide declaration. This changed during the COVID-19 pandemic where every province and territory made the declaration, opposing similar measures from the federal government. Every province has the ability to assume emergency powers under either a specific emergency act or under a public health act. In some provinces, like British Columbia, both exist and can grant specific authorities. British Columbia's Civil Defence Act was enacted in 1951 and renamed the Emergency Program Act in 1973.
YearEventProvince/TerritoryUnder the Authority of
1948River floodBritish ColumbiaArmy Act
1966Ferry StrikePrince Edward IslandEmergency Measures Act
1989Forest FiresManitoba
1999Snow StormQuebec
2003SARS outbreakOntarioEmergency Management Act
2003WildfiresBritish ColumbiaEmergency Program Act
2003Northeast blackoutOntarioEmergency Management Act
2004White Juan blizzardNova ScotiaEmergency Measures Act
2004White Juan blizzardPrince Edward IslandEmergency Measures Act
2011FloodsManitobaEmergency Measures Act
2013FloodsAlbertaEmergency Management Act
2014Assiniboine River floodManitobaEmergency Measures Act
2016Fort McMurray wildfireAlbertaEmergency Management Act
2016Opioid epidemicBritish ColumbiaPublic Health Act
2017WildfiresBritish ColumbiaEmergency Program Act
2018WildfiresBritish ColumbiaEmergency Program Act
2019Snow stormManitobaEmergency Measures Act